Director’s Corner: Progress check, FAFSA and HEERF III funds

Published on Oct. 4, 2021

Hello CASE Scholars, families and supporters,

We are almost at the halfway mark for the Fall 2021 semester and I wanted to highlight a couple of time sensitive items for you: Mid-Semester Progress Check Process, FAFSA, and HEERF III Funds for students.

Mid-Semester Progress Check 

Each semester, it’s always a good idea right before the early registration process begins for the next semester (spring), to take stock in your academic progress during mid-semester. The purpose of mid-semester progress checks is to gain valuable information and insight from your instructors of courses you are currently enrolled in, and to determine what might need to be done to utilize the remaining time in the semester, along with additional academic resources to improve current progress.

Therefore, we are asking all Scholars to print out and complete this form for each of the courses you are enrolled in and set up a meeting with each professor (during their office hours) to discuss your progress to date. We ask that you send the completed forms back to CASE and arrange a meeting with your Student Services Coordinator to discuss strategies, if necessary. This needs to be completed on or before Monday, October 18th.

FAFSA & HEERF III 

The time is now to complete your free application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2022-2023 academic year.  You can access the application here.

In addition, you may have heard that MU is in the process of distributing a new round of Federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF) III funds for emergency grants for students.

*Automatic Undergraduate Student Eligibility*

Some undergraduate students will automatically be awarded HEERF III grants for the Fall 2021 term (no application necessary). To qualify for an automatic award, students must:

  • Be degree-seeking at Mizzou;
  • Be enrolled at least half-time in the fall 2021 term at the time of disbursement of the award;
  • Have completed a 2021-22 FAFSA on file with Mizzou as of Oct. 1, 2021;
  • Have an official EFC in an eligible range as outlined in the chart below; and
  • Have NOT already received a HEERF III Grant from the Student Financial Aid office

Automatic HEERF III Emergency Grants to undergraduate students will be processed through the student account and will directly refund to the student and NOT pay any outstanding charges on the student bill. We strongly encourage students to setup Direct Deposit to get funds as soon as possible.

Students who wish to apply for HEERF III Emergency Grants must meet the following criteria.

All students enrolled at least half-time for the fall 2021 term that have not already received an automatic HEERF III grant may apply for HEERF III emergency student funding. To qualify for this application students must:

  • Be degree-seeking at Mizzou;
  • Be enrolled at least half-time in the fall 2021 term at the time of disbursement of the award;
  • Any enrollment level may apply (i.e., Undergraduate, Graduate, Professional, Medical, Vet Med, Doctoral, Law, Post-Comp);
  • Students who received an automatic or other HEERF III student grant from the Student Financial Aid office are NOT eligible to complete this application;
  • Domestic students must have a completed 2021-22 FAFSA on file with Mizzou; and
  • International students that are not eligible to complete the FAFSA may apply and will be required to answer and/or submit additional financial information.

Application award amounts will vary from $200 to $1000 based upon a student’s need as calculated upon the student’s FAFSA for domestic students and the HEERF III application for international students. Some awards may exceed $1000, on a very limited basis, based upon exceptional need, extraordinary circumstances, and students exhausting all gift and self-help (i.e., student loans) financial aid options.  The application will be made available on October 15th. Click here for more information about the process.

I hope this helps with proactive information and actions to facilitate your academic and financial success at MU.

Brought to you by the caring leadership of the Center for Academic Success & Excellence

#WeAreCASE

 

E. Andre Thorn, Ph.D
Director, Center for Academic Success & Excellence (CASE)
“Serving Students Since 1995”
110 Student Success Center, 909 Lowry Mall
Columbia, MO  65211
P: 573-882-9208
F: 573-884-4353
www.case.missouri.edu

Indigenous Peoples and Lands Acknowledgement:
I would like to acknowledge that I work in what is colonially known as “Missouri,” and that these were the homelands of the tribal nations of the Nutachi (Missouria), Jiwere (Otoe), Wahzhazhe (Osage), Ogáxpa (Quapaw), Chikasha (Chickasaw), Illini, and Báxoǰe (Ioway), among others.